A creamy cheesecake center filled with fresh strawberries and a topping of graham cracker crumbs, cool whip, and freeze dried strawberries, this no-bake summer dessert is a force to be reckoned with!
In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and water. Mix well.
Line an 11x9 inch dish with parchment paper.
Take about 1 Cup of the graham cracker mixture out and set it aside in a bowl for topping the bars later.
Then take the remaining graham cracker mixture and place it into the lined dish in one even layer, pressing it down so it’s firm.
Place the dish in the freezer while you make the filling.
To make the filling you can use a hand mixer or a large food processor. Combine cream cheese and sugar. Mix. Add heavy whipping cream.
Add 1 Cup Strawberries. Mix well, then add lemon juice.
Remove the crust from the freezer. Spread out the remaining sliced strawberries on top of the crust.
Use a rubber spatula to pour the filling right on top of the strawberries. Gently spread it out into an even layer.
Next, place it back in the freezer for about 8 minutes. Remove it and top with cool whip (spreading it carefully with a spatula).
Pour the remaining graham cracker crumbs on top of the cool whip.
Crush the freeze dried strawberries by hand or in a food processor, and place them on top of the graham cracker crumbs.
Serve immediately or place the bars in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Cool whip gets soft extremely fast so we'd really recommend keeping the bars in the freezer until you’re ready to serve them, pull them out about 8 minutes before. They will thaw just enough to be able to get the knife and fork/spoon through them. Then slice them into squares.
Any leftover bars can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 weeks.